Enewsletter

Enewsletter • March
7, 2012

Notes
from Vegan Outreach

Big
Ag Concedes: We’re Winning

Victory,
one person at a time: Vegetarian since getting
a booklet in 2009 at the University of Oklahoma.

As
we’ve pointed out, people in the U.S. are eating
fewer and fewer animals. Agribusiness
has given up trying to spin it as just part
of the recession; as Jim Lochner, chief operating
officer of Tyson, admits:

“We are operating
in a different world than we
were a few years ago,” Lochner said. “After
decades of steady growth, U.S. per capita consumption
of protein [sic!] declined 11% from the peak
in 2006, a trend that is likely to continue.”

Congratulations
to everyone who has dedicated their time and
money to creating this new world!

Activist
Profile: Yuri Mitzkewich

Continuing
our series of activist
profiles, we meet Yuri Mitzkewich!
Here is an excerpt:

What
made you decide to start leafleting?

Trying
many different forms of activism for years with
little tangible effect, I began to think that
a more direct form of advocacy was what was
needed. With corporations and our government
less and less responsive to the public, it occurred
to me that convincing individuals of their own
involvement in animal suffering was the way
to go. People can then discover the contribution
they’re making to this, and also their
own leverage to change their beliefs and the
world for the better. Convincing people of the
importance of their choices, and getting them
to boycott the industries making their profits
off animal exploitation will be the dynamic
that will create the biggest difference for
animals. Leafleting to me is the most effective
means to this end.

What
was your most positive leafleting experience
and why?

Every
time I get out and can get any single person
to seriously consider going vegan is, for me,
as positive as it gets. Every time I see a person
stop what they are doing and read a leaflet
– that is the reason I keep doing this.

What
would you say to individuals hesitant about
leafleting?

Join
the club! Being hesitant is a condition I think
I was probably born with. After reminding myself
of the importance of the information we’re
there to share, it gets easier to dive in. It
only takes the first leaflet being accepted
and from there, the rest is all vegan gravy.

Product
of the Week

Yuri:
“I love the DVD Vegan
Cooking for Animal Lovers
by the Hardcore Chef, Kerry Weber. This unconventional,
easy to follow cooking video is in places inspiring,
enlightening, and hilarious – sometimes
all at the same time. A must-see, especially
if you are a new vegan looking for useful DIY
cooking tips that are easy to put to use.”

Notes
from Our Members

For our last outreach in Mexico,
we gave a talk today to a group of high school
seniors. It went really well, the students seemed
really into the lit and the teachers were also
open to vegetarianism. Israel’s mom is so into
it, she took a stack of 50 booklets and gave
it to everyone in her yoga class and said there
was a lot of discussion. She made a list of
all the other people she wanted to give it to,
down to her hairdresser; there went another
50 booklets. We also gave a stack here and there
to professors who wanted to give to their students
and to activists who requested them. Now we’re
out of lit!
Many thank yous
to the Arriola family, and especially Israel
and Anima Naturalis, and, of course to Drew,
who funded the trip! Countless animals have
been saved, and this trip has ignited an unquenchable
thirst to keep pushing for veganism as a major
solution to many of the world’s ailments and
to try and prevent as many animals as possible
from harm. Hasta la Victoria siempre! Por los
animals del mundo,—Vic Sjodin & Jeni Haines,
2/16/12

I was ordering at
Pei Wei yesterday and the man taking my order
asked if I am vegan. He told me that he has
been trying to go vegetarian but finds it hard
although he really wants to do it. I whipped
a Guide out of my purse and he thanked me and
seemed really excited!
Also, a few months
ago, I leafleted a guy I went to high school
with. He told me that he had been considering
vegetarianism, so I gave him a Guide and had
a short conversation with him. A few weeks ago,
he emailed me to tell me that he has been vegan
since Thanksgiving and wants to get involved
in leafleting!—Kirby Mauro, 1/13/12

A
student reads the leaflet in front of a
famous mural at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Reached over 700 students
on the first day of the semester at Southwestern
Illinois College. It was a great day of outreach!
For example, one student said, “That’s
it; I’m going vegan.”—Rick Hershey, 1/17/12

A truly amazing day at
Virginia Commonwealth University, where John,
Jordan, Parker, and I reached almost 4,000 students
– the most booklets handed out on a Virginia
campus ever! Engaged a ton of individuals who
were asking about getting active, going veg,
etc., as evidenced by the dozens of Guides
handed out.—Jon Camp, 1/18/12

New record at the
University of North Florida, where I reached
over 1,500 students. Good reception; e.g., I
saw one student stop in his tracks to read the
pamphlet, and then he found a bench so he could
sit to continue reading. A different student
handed me a pro-veg flier he had made, and thanked
me for leafleting.—Lana Smithson, 1/18/12

From
a recent batch of Guide
requests:

Someone
at the University of British Columbia
was handing out your Compassionate Choices
booklet. As a result, I have decided to
become a vegan.—SC

Because of your booklet, I’ve
decided to go vegan. Keep up the great work.—SN

Went
veg at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa.

I was given the brochure
at El Camino College. I was really struck by
the stories and the pictures so I want to give
it a try. I love animals and I didn’t know about
the procedure farms use to raise them. It is
so cruel and sad that I had contributed to this
horror. So I want to help by not purchasing
animal products. Thank you.—OM

A young lady in Chicago,
IL at my school (Malcolm X College) was passing
out literature. I was very interested in this
lifestyle change.—ST

Someone
handed me a pamphlet at Harvard
University. It was just what I needed –
I’ve been struggling for a while with the question
of whether to return to vegetarianism or not,
and this information was just what I needed
to inspire me to go for it. It was really encouraging
that the pamphlet said it’s okay to make exceptions
occasionally if that will make a mostly vegetarian
diet more sustainable for you. Taking it one
day at a time is much less intimidating than
the idea of never ever eating any meat again
ever. Thank you so much for helping me do this!
—CL

Vegan
Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
dedicated to reducing the suffering of
farmed animals by promoting informed,
ethical eating.